It's ALL small stuff

Around 1990 I was working at a Tae Kwon Do school in NJ. I'd just left the ulcer inducing fast track of the corporate world and my teacher offered me a gig. I'd warm up classes, teach a few, sell memberships, sweep the floor and do whatever it took to help Master Kwak keep two schools running. Master Kwak exemplified what I though a martial artist should represent. He was calm, reflective.........meditative breathing exercises were part of every class........and extremely skilled in his art. He would only demonstrate his skills during student tests but some of his techniques and breaks were amazing. He had a dry sense of humor, appreciated mine and was a good friend during the time I trained and worked with him. I broke my hand on my black belt test and I remember when I walked into his school with a cast on my arm he looked like he was gonna cry....then laugh...then cry.......ah.........the ultimate yin and yang.

A few weeks later I was preparing to move out of the area and leave the school. I was nervous but excited and Master Kwak and I had a sitdown. He was always good for some words of wisdom. For some reason life keeps reminding me of this conversation. My mom has just died after a long illness. We'd sold her home and I was leaving with no prospects except my band gig...which was doing pretty well at the time. Master Kwak sensed my apprehension and showed me something he'd drawn on a piece of paper he had in front of him. I'd seen it around his office but never thought to ask what it was. It was the Korean character for crisis. He told me the word is made up of two characters....one meaning danger....and the other meaning opportunity. Ahhhhhh.....grasshopper. I can't escape it because that reference never fails to appear at the exact moment of crisis/danger/opportunity etc. Harrowing, or at least, uncertain times, upon reflection, usually turn out to be worth the trip. I've had a few life challenges, just like you, and at this point I can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing. If everything didn't happen as it did I wouldn't be here.....now. And this is right where I want to be. There's still things to do......hopes....dreams.......become a better brother, uncle, friend....partner. And that's what keeps life exciting. The old what the hell is gonna happen tomorrow thing!?!?

I dig getting older. Is that weird? I see things so much more clearly than when I was twenty or thirty. One of the biggest lessons is don't sweat the small stuff, because ultimately it's all small stuff. I can't take credit for that but it's my mantra. Another bit of wisdom I try to live by is the Serenity Prayer. I'm certainly not a religious guy in the traditional sense and not much for traditional prayer but I carry a lot of spirituality around and this one hits home. Google it. How did I become acquainted with it?

The nuns in my grammar school would hit the parents up for the occasional ride to Convent Station, NJ. This was kind of like the mother ship for the Sisters of Charity. My mom got the call one day and I was recruited for the drive along. Turns out....it was my teacher!!!!! I guess I've been more uncomfortable but I can't remember when. As a thank you she gave my mother a small plaque which had the Serenity Prayer on it. My mom seemed very moved and told her that the prayer had always been one of her favorites. I thought she was just shinin' her but apparently she meant it. That prayer hung around the house for the next thirty years. I guess the vibe has passed on because like the sage words of Master Kwak, the Serenity Prayer always seems to pop up right when it's needed. I finally caved and put my own computer generated prayer together, framed it and it's in my music studio helping me to find the divine inspiration needed to write a top ten hit. That and Carole King's Tapestry album. Basically it tells you to be aware and ready when life comes at you. Recognize a good opportunity, etc. Good advice anytime. Clever one liners make life so simple, don't they? If we all lived by the bits of wisdom delivered by the Asian cartoon character in the NY Daily News.....usually right next to the racing results.....life would be beautiful. Every day he's got a gem. It's usually something about open your mouth less and your ears more. I'm stunned that the climate of political correctness in this country has allowed him to continue.

I really hate political correctness. It's just so righteously phony. I remember when Howard Stern was being interviewed by Tom Snyder and lambasted for all his politically incorrect, insensitive and usually right on the money comments. Howard's point was that everybody says or at least, thinks, this stuff. Tom said, "Yeah, but not when the mics are on." Hmmmmmm. I paraphrase..... but you get the point. Knock it off!!!!!! We can take it!!!!!!! Family Guy's my new favorite show. It doesn't apologize for anything and I love that. We're all the family guy to a point..We just don't have the nerve to admit it. Me included. I also love you tube and I'm on facebook. DON'T ask me to Twitter.

Well, a great thunderstorm/hailstorm just started so I have to get outside. First one of the season. And my electricity's bound to go out as it always does so I'd better save........

PS Gig this wknd Fri, Apr 3rd at Tiff's, Rt 31, Clinton NJ with The "High Bridge All Stars." Showtime around 9.

I can't believe I'm still here. So....what's next?!?

I moved a mile and a half downriver last month...and have a new roommate. Y'know, you get to a certain age and stop questioning things as much as you used to. Ten...twenty years ago moving in with a girlfriend would have been a huge emotional crisis deserving of months of thought... what ifs...etc. Linda said she could make a comfortable home for us. No pressure. I took her word for it and danged if she hasn't made a wonderful home for us. I like to think I helped, but when it comes to window treatments and rugs.....and home stuff...... I'm like a new born pup blindly struggling in the dark. She MADE curtains. Well, not curtains.... but those things that hang at the top of windows. All I know is I heard a sewing machine and....BANG....things on windows. I came home one night and there's a long rug in the hallway. And it looks just like the rug in the living room! What ? How? (Did you know that the hall rug is called a runner? Go figure)

I have all my recording stuff set up. ITunes has said I can send them my music and....life goes on. Gotta find a band. This is the longest I've gone without a steady gig and it's a little scary. I've been doing some pick up gigs here and there but I need that steady thing. Looking at a calendar and seeing Fris and Sats blocked out is a reassuring feeling. Particularly the way the economy is. I've always used music as a second source of income and there's no time like the present. I can't remember when I wasn't in a band. How do people not be in a band? What do they do?

I went to see some old pals the other night. The Doughboys. Great sixties style band. The drummer was on my little league team, the bass player was my paper boy...you get the idea. They're from my old hometown of Plainfield, NJ. They're a couple of years older so we never hung out back in the day but they were neighborhood guys who got a jump on the band thing around 1965 or so ......played for a number of years ....reformed a couple of years ago and there you have it. Same song list. Same lineup. Very Yardbirds. (See Yardbirds pic. Can you name them....hmmmm?) Their guitar player, Willie, had some problems and died two years ago......great guitarist. Another guy slipped in and.... gig on, boys. This place I saw them the other night used to be called The Hullabaloo in the 60's. NJ had a chain of Hullabaloos. One of the guys from The Doughboy's had a poster of them playing there...on the same stage...in 1967. I used to go there all the time to see some great local bands. At the time the best I could do was high school dances, parties, etc.

I played full time for a number of years and the thing I remember most is how proud I felt when people asked and I would tell them I was a musician. It always got a reaction. And you could see that look in their eyes as they hearkened back to their high school band, or the marching band, or even piano lessons from the lady down the street. That look of....what if.......? But don't worry.......the grass is always greener. You're right where you're supposed to be. I believe that.

Right now I'm pretty sure I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Living on the Musconetcong River in Finesville, Warren County, NJ, with a beautiful woman who, for some odd reason, seems to really like me........ watching the geese and the birds, and the occasional fox....searching for that ever elusive perfect band.......writing music.....hustling people around by day....entertaining...or not....people on the radio one morning a week........thanking God for putting me right here, right now....celebrating my health...trying to treat the world and the people in it as well as I can...... and being extremely optimistic about the future. Why?......... WHY NOT?? Peace.

PS Gigging at Mrs Riley's in High Bridge, NJ the Sat before St Patty's day with some old pals. C'mon out. I'll buy you a green beer.

"Wasn't....isn't....this a time....?

Just in case you've been on an archaeological dig deep in a cave in South America for the last year.........we've just had one mama jamma of an election!!! This was fun!!!!! I'm not a "political junkie" but keep just well enough informed via the Daily News, the NJ Star Ledger, the internet, talk radio and the nightly news to realize that no one really "knows". And there's a lot of agenda driven opinion out there. I think the checks and balances of our system, within the houses of government, for the most part, work. The old,"Say, what's that guy up to?" The gentlemen from the Continental Congress would be proud, and grateful, I'll bet, that their plan has held up. But I think keeping the other guy honest has taken a nasty turn into trying to stop the other guy in his tracks....even sabatoging him. No one will admit it but I'm here to tell you....the emperorer has no clothes!!!!!! Both sides do it.

Look, I've been a bleeding heart liberal most of my natural life but I'd have to be blind and deaf not to see that the media in this country is indeed....uh oh......LIBERAL!!!! Most talk radio is conservative. Most tv and print is liberal. Like it or not, that's the way it is, man. And knock it off with this fairness doctrine stuff. Guess what? Ratings rule. So waaaaaaaa!!!!! Cry me a river. My own bleeding heart has moved more and more to the middle as I've grown older and...wiser? Wiser meaning being able to see that everyone in politics is a con artist. A lot of these folks have good hearts and intentions ....ON BOTH SIDES..........but con artists nonetheless.

I remember when I was about twenty one and playing a gig in my hometown. One of the local politicos was there shaking hands and kissing babies. I kinda knew this guy and we were chatting about some of his plans...... which had drastically changed. I asked why and he gave me my first lesson in politics 101. He said he had to first pay back favors (not his word) to the people/groups that helped get him elected. Then he could get to his agenda, which, he assured me, he would. That was an eye opener. Favors, paybacks and the putting of one's own plan on the back burner can only intensify with the size and importance of the office. Which is why, I think, you.......I....had to look at the personality......and why my liberal finger, under direction from my liberal heart, pushed the button for John McCain. I asked myself one question. Who would I want standing next to me in a barfight? And there you have it. McCain's whole pow experience and his refusing to leave when given the chance spoke to me. I went Democratic the rest of the ticket but the prez was a righty. I mentioned this on my weekly radio show and heard from a bunch of irritated liberals. I had to say don't worry....be happy....you won. I'm cool....please join me. Because I thought all along that no matter the outcome it's a win/win situation. We have either the first African American president or the first woman Vice president. Either way, life goes on and my life, or yours, isn't gonna change a whole lot. It's akin to my feelings when the Yanks lose the World Series. Ahhhh dangit.....and......back to work........ 'cuz here comes the rent again.

My conscience dictated McCain, but this is.......ok. What say we get behind Barack. Keep a watchful eye, but could we stop the sniping, gotcha crap......the living in the past and depressing projections? Well if Bush didn't...well if Clinton didn't....if George the first didn't ....if Reagan....if Carter ......if.....STOP!!!!!!!! The guy hasn't even taken the oath yet. Like the bumper sticker says, "Either push, pull or get the hell out of the way." But c'mon...let's not throw tacks in front of his tires. Obama's failure means success for the right...just as Bush's failures mean success for the left. We've got to temper this crap.

Which brings me to this. When did my people, the left, lose their sense of humor and become the crotchety old men of the sixties? I was raised on Mad magazine, National Lampoon, Monty Python, Saturday Night Live and still have the occasional flashback to prove it. Ahhh....when the sunshine was orange. We've become Big Brother. The Democratic conventioneers seemed a little miffed and put out while the Republicans seemed.....dare I say it......fun......a party. And they were losing! I still love political incorrectness...with NO apology. The Family Guy is my new hero. What happened? Who threw the switch? Look, man, we're all in this together and as the late, great Jim Morrison once said, "No one here gets out alive." And wouldn't it be cool to see, just once, if we did all pull together, what we could do? That doesn't mean cave in or surrender your positions.... but argue from a position of tolerance and betterment....... for everyone. Can I get a Kumbaya? And Move On. org....you can stop your e mails now. They were getting a little creepy.

I was driving around on election day and covered a lot of ground. I voted for McCain early. But the turnout I saw doesn't jive with what I'm hearing on talk radio. Would it kill you to admit that a helluva lot of people turned out? Maybe it was only in my neck of the woods here in NY, NJ and Pa....but it was wild! There was definitely a feeling in the air. To quote Stephen Stills, "There's something happening here. What it is, ain't exactly clear."

So I'll deliver the same mantra now that I did eight years ago when my guy didn't win then, either. Watch, be wary, be skeptical, challenge, but when Barack falls down, which he occasionally will, how 'bout rather than putting a foot on his back we put our hand out and help him up. He's ours for four years. The dems have it all. Let's see what we can do.

Election day, and the events of the following days made me proud to be here and be involved enough to at least have have contributed what I felt was a considered vote. I was proud to be an American. Not necessarily proud of a lot of things America has done, but proud to be..... an American.....with a drippingly sarcastic apology to my college professors. ( I once wrote a paper supporting the Vietnam war for my conservative professor and one decrying the war for my Liberal professor. I got A's on both! And, if you hadn't noticed, I ain't no Hemingway. Am I a cynical sob, or what?!?!) This is an amazing thing we have....this peaceful transfer of power every four years. Seeing all the faces on the front pages and across tv screens.... the faces of people covered in tears.....people that may have been the target of dogs, hoses, clubs or worse, a mere forty years ago was....well.... moving. I don't know how anyone couldn't have been moved.

So buck up, John. You're a classy guy who ran a really atrocious campaign. I'll still pick you to be at my back when glasses start being thrown. Is the playing field now..... even? Probably not. But I think the slope is slowly decreasing. Peace.

These ARE the "good old days"

Ah .....for the good old days. Were the old days actually that good? I think we tend to view days gone by with a litle help from our rose colored glasses. Remember the Twilight Zone where the modern day scientist (circa early 60's) gets fed up with all the noise pollution, crowding and general rudeness of the day and somehow, through the magic of the "zone", manages to return to the late 1800's? In an interesting convention the scene switches to silent..... with subtitles....... and, lo and behold, Buster Keaton pops onto the scene as the inept assistant. Our modern man at first loves the serenity of the past but then discovers he can't find any of the equipment he needs and..... yadda yadda...... he returns to the present, bringing Buster with him. Ya just have to buy into it. Buster hates it. He goes home. Everybody's happy. So what's the moral? I don't know. The grass isn't always greener? Be happy in your present circumstances wherever and whatever they may be? OK....I'll take that one.

In the early eighties a band I was playing with got a two month gig in Bermuda. Round trip flight, house, one meal a day, mopeds and a pretty good paycheck all included. Our only responsibility was to be on stage at 9:30 tuesday through Sunday. After about two weeks I'd done all the tourist stuff and covered the island front to back and side to side. From there things just sort of eased into.....life. I thought, man, if that can happen in Bermuda, I guess it can happen anywhere. Contentment really does come from within. Blue water and pink beaches help......and we had a rollickin' time, made some good friends, got really tight as a band and wouldn't trade the experience for anything, but it was still just.....life. I'd actually discovered this earlier, but forgot it. When I went to El Paso for college in 1970, leaving all my griping NJ buddies and flying off into the sunset.....ALONE...... I was stunned to find that all the Texas guys were sick of Texas and aching to head back east........TO JERSEY!!! The big question I got was how could I not have gone to Woodstock. Well, if I would've known it was gonna be a movie......

It's fall here in New Jersey. A beautiful time of year. Sunday morning. I was just sitting on the banks of the Musconetcong River, (which is right in my back yard......how cool is that?!?!) ......meditating, thinking, planning, dreaming....praying. Every day when I get up and rolling, I've gotten into the habit of thanking the powers that be.....God?.....for putting me here...now.... and keeping me and my family and friends healthy. I always ask for support and guidance and the ability to recognize opportunity....a big part of luck. Over the years I feel as if there's been someone keeping an eye on me. I think back to what I wanted ten...twenty years ago and I basically have it. And what I don't have is my own fault. But I'm a big believer in the best is yet to come....create your opportunities (luck) and stay positive. Don't be afraid to say things out loud. The spoken word is powerful. But don't be surprised if someone drapes a net over your head, either.

I believe.....recognize......that we're just here to learn, give and receive love, find and utilize our talents, while trying not to walk into too many doors along the way. If during that time, you've managed to fall in love a few times, make some people laugh, roll in the grass with a dog or two, climb a great tree, sing with a bunch of friends, laugh till you cry....cry till you laugh, sled down an icy winter hill, catch a perfect wave, make a diving catch on a grass infield on a beautiful summer day, skinny dip, help someone who really needs it and enjoy a variety of sunrises and sunsets from different parts of the planet.............well, my friend, I think that's really all anyone can ask. And if you've missed any of the aforementioned.....there's always next time.

"A crazy little thing called love"

So the elderly couple is heading up to their honeymoon suite after a very succesful wedding day. Myron says,"You know, Ada I love you very much, but there are a few things we haven't discussed."

"Why, what's that, my husband?," Ada replied.

"Well, for one thing, I have to have dinner every day at five o' clock."

"Done!" says his dutiful wife."

And, he continued, I must have a poached egg every morning for breakfast, with coffee and orange juice........ and no later than eight am."

"And what kind of bride would I be if I couldn't do a simple thing like that for the man I love?," she coyly answered.

"And now my dear, surely you have some concerns as we enter this union.," says Myron.

"Well, Ada begins, I'm a little curious about your thoughts on........... sex."

"Ah, my love, Myron answers........infrequently ."

In a small voice Ada asks, "Is that one or two words?"

"Stop the world I.....well, could you at least slow it down a little?"

Is it just me or is the world, with apologies to Al Gore, getting colder. I mean philosophically. Everything is about a buck. I'm on the road all day and listening to the radio is a constant challenge to avoid commercials. I understand about selling air time and the pay to play medium but.......C'MON!!!!!!!! Yer killin' me, man!!!!!!! I have two FM and two AM bands programmed and I can go through every button and still not hear any content. I mean....the commercials with the rapid fire disclaimers at the end..... And anything that may result in bloody discharge.....I ain't takin'! Y'know I'm starting to believe that commie plot thing from the sixties. Introducing weed and inane tv shows resulting in the dumbing down and apathy that's become.....us. The old get 'em from the inside. Well, it worked. Listen to the man on the street interviews. Half the people asked don't know who the president is. I used to sit back and laugh at this stuff. And, for the most part, still do........ being the cynical, Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon, Monty Python, Mad Magazine ex-hippie that I am. But, and maybe it's the getting older thing, the laugh has a nervous twitch to it.....like when you laugh at a horror movie trying to pretend you're not scared. (C'mon, I knew Tony Perkins was his own mother......right?) I love Family Guy, The Simpsons and some of the reality stuff but if I was a parent I'd be worried.

And what's happened to baseball? I barely watched any of the World Series last year, 'cause it was on too late. Why? Advertisers. Hardly any day games, no double headers, cost prohibitive to go to games, can't watch batting practice anymore, players won't give you the time of day, $7 hot dogs and $5.50 beers, thrown out as soon as the last out is made............can you throw a brother a bone....please?!?! You hear this brought up on the sports talk shows and all the hosts say is, "Well, that's the way it is now. It's a different time." Yeah....I guess. But I'll bet it's comfortable in the press boxes around America. In the parks around here the baseball fields are empty. When I think of some of the scroungy fields my buddies and I used to play on and then see these beautiful, manicured fields going to waste.....well...."the babe"would shed a tear. I think major league baseball's shooting itself in the foot. Maybe not the next generation or even the one after that, but sooner or later the well of fandom may dry up. But it's all about making it now.

I like money. A lot. But how much is enough? At what point do we think of the greater good? Baseball's a metaphor for everything. It's good like that. But it can get kind of depressing. And I'm an extremely optimistic guy. Even at the ripe old age of fifty six I'm still convinced I'm gonna be living in the house on the hill and playing in the band of my dreams. There's a difference between recognizing the reality that's out there and putting a little rose color on your own reality. I still steadfastly believe in the innate goodness of people. We are...have to be....our brother's keeper. It's just that the world is starting to look like the stark future of the movies. Remember the panic you felt along with Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life" when he realizes no one knows him and his small town has gone to hell in a hand basket? Or Marty Mcfly in "Back to the Future" when he saw what his town had become. But it was only because they weren't there to pitch in. And that, my friends, is what it's all about. Bring some peace and kindness to your small fragment of the universe. Let the other guy into your lane now and then. Pick up a piece of garbage. Be kind to your wife/husband, friends, girl/boy friends, kids, animals, nature. Open your ears more and your mouth less! And when you're alone in your car....sing at the top of your lungs!!!!!!!!!! Try to see the big picture. We're only here for a cup of coffee.

Do I take my own advice? Man, I try. Really. And the older I get the more I do...... still not nearly enough. But now, I think, I recognize it. And that's a start. Now here's twenty bucks. Get me a beer and a hot dog and let's PLAY BALL!!!! Peace

"Look, up in the sky, it's a ....Byrd?"

“This is Allison Steele, the Nightbird….come fly with me.” And fly I did. Those opening words from the late, WNEW, NY dj sent me off to sleep on a thousand nights in the late 60’s and early 70’s. She’d start with a poem, delivered in a low, whispered voice. The words poured out of my radio and I swear I could smell her perfume. Then wonderful music would follow. Songs that would end, well, when they were over. I’d become so used to the AM version of “Light my fire” that I was stunned to hear Ray Manzarek’s extended keyboard break come out of my radio’s three inch speaker. So, that’s how it was supposed to sound. Thanks, Allison.
Radio has been there for everything, hasn’t it? It was the soundtrack for your first kiss, trips to the beach, cars, bars, guitars and…… heartache. Remember the first time you heard “Walk away Renee” after someone broke your heart? Ouch!
In earlier years I’d overhear the voice of Jean Shepherd drifting out of my parent’s bedroom as he’d weave intricate tales of picnics, family outings, the Fourth of July, Aunt Edna or his third grade teacher. I’d laugh along even though I was a hallway and five stairs away. The next morning John Gambling and “Pack up your troubles” would waft in from the kitchen signaling the start of another nightmarish day with the Sister’s of (No) Mercy. That song still makes me cringe. The two mile ride to St Mary’s made Fred Feldman’s traffic reports moot, but it was still nice to know he and the WOR helicopter were up there.
When I finally got my own radio, I jumped ship to WABC, just like you did. Cousin Brucie, Dan Ingram, Harry Harrison and Scott Muni were never far away. Neither were The Beach Boys, The Ronettes, The Temptations and, finally, all those weird looking groups from across the pond. I could never explain to my grandmother’s satisfaction exactly what a “Byrd”, let alone a “Yardbird”, was. But it didn’t really matter. The times indeed were “a changin’, and, along with some of our favorite dj’s, my friends and I left the familiar, rapid fire patter of the AM band and moved over to FM. Goodbye Cousin. Hello Nightbird.
For the last decade and a half, Thursday mornings have been very special to me. The familiar smells of old records, tapes and turntables that hit me in the face as I open up the “HonkyTonk Roadhouse” have become like old friends. And I hardly ever trip on that third step leading up to the on air studio anymore. A lot of people have come through. Some stayed. WDVR is FM the way FM used to be. It’s
the kind of radio that Allison Steele and Scott Muni would be proud of; a forgotten taste of freedom; for all of us. Slick?. Nah. Fast paced? Hardly. It is, I hope, a small comfort zone in your car, office, garage, kitchen or bathroom; a feeling. It’s the feeling you get when you spot your old baseball glove on the shelf in the garage each spring. And instead of walking by, you try it on for a few smacks? Y’know what I mean? Well, if you don’t, I‘m afraid I could never explain it. But if you do……. I’ll never have to. Thanks for stopping by. Peace.

(The"Honky Tonk Roadhouse" can be heard Thurs morns, 6am - 9 on WDVR fm, 89.7 and 91.9 FM, Nj and PA. Streams online at at www.wdvrfm.org)

You may say I'm a dreamer.....and you'd be right.

There's something about snow and Christmas. At least here in the northeast. How many Christmas tv shows end with "Hey...look!!!! It's starting to snow!!!" I'm at least as cynical as the rest of you but danged if I don't feel just a little choked up during "It's a wonderful life." C'mon man....the angel got his wings!!!! And when Scrooge sends that kid down the road to buy the goose? Well....let's just say my feminine side comes out.

I remember one Christmas Eve in Piscataway, NJ. It was probably around 1970 - 71 and I'd spent the evening with a few of the fellas at one of their parent's house down the road. Just doing what twenty year old guys do. Around midnight or so I took off and walked the mile and a half home through a fresh snowfall. The climb up Rivercrest Drive had a magical air. A night to remember. The snow made everything so quiet. Just me crunching my way home. Clear, clear sky. And stars. I stopped at the baseball park about halfway and pulled up a seat in the dugout. Again. (Did some of my best thinking in that dugout.) It was one of those moments you don't want to end. Moments that usually come when I'm alone. Or does it just seem that way. Floods of memories. Christmas will do that. Another Christmas Eve/Christmas morning an old flame and I were sitting downstairs in my parents house....probably watching "It's A Wonderful Life"... when a pal knocked on the window and he and his soon to be wife dropped in with a bottle of Amaretto. We did a few warming shots, laughed, wished a merry and said adios. Another moment....memory. Going out with my mom for a last minute Christmas tree and cringing as she worked the guy down from a dollar to fifty cents. ("Hey, what's he gonna do with it tomorrow?") Touche, mi a mama!!!

But that's what life ultimately is, isn't it? Just a bunch of little snapshots strung together. The big ones are great....graduations....weddings....vacations. But it's the in - between stuff that really ties it together. They say...and I'm badly paraphrasing.....that while you're planning for the future, or remembering the past, life happens. You could drive yourself crazy trying to decipher the coincidental lines of life. Remember the old poster of the Acid Cat? If you don't, I could never explain it, and if you do....no explanation necessary. Dayglow at its best. Roads. I was on my way to band practice one night in 1974 and stopped into Somerset Farms for a battery. Ran into an old friend who was also in a band......we reconnected.....combined the two bands and had a pretty good run for about five years. I could give you eighty five examples of serendipitous moments.....as you could give me....but it's still a hoot!!!!

And then there's the snapshots that don't lead to anything earth shattering, but that you just know are special and don't want to end. .....like the aforementioned Christmas Eve snow walk.

Linda and I spent a wonderful day in Central Park this summer. I've never had any special affinity for the park .....having been through it, but never stopping, oh about eight hundred times. But as belated birthday wishes must be honored, in we went. And dangbangit if I didn't have one of the best days of my life. It was a spectacular summer day and NY and Central Park were at their most entertaining. Bands, solo musicians, food carts, mimes....and who doesn't love a mime?.....Oh yeah....everybody hates a mime. Spent some time in Strawberry Fields. A few somber moments across the street at The Dakota. Dinner in Greenwich village. It was ALL good. We were sitting on one of the park benches in Strawberry Fields (really nice job, Yoko) and I remember reminding myself that this was one of those special moments. I didn't want it to end. And if some street folks didn't start brawling amongst themselves we probably would have stayed a while longer. Hey!!!! Give peace a chance, wouldja?

Think about your current job, wife/girlfriend, living situation, car, friends. How'd they come into your life. It's kind of cool unraveling these things we rarely think about. Like the great philosopher Ed Norton once said, "See Ralph...the SMALL details." (I refer you to The Honeymooners where Ralph inherits his "Fortune". Mayhem ensues......... homina...homina....homina.)

I think I use the phrase, "as I get older" a lot these days. But, as I get older, I see these moments more clearly...recognize them. Maybe not as they're happening....but soon. I look around the room. How the heck did I wind up here? Oh yeah...this...and that....and that other thing. What if Paul didn't get on the bus that summer day in Liverpool and run into John? Well, our day in Central Park may have been a little less special. Or would we have even been there? Submitted, for your approval. (Cue Twilight Zone music) We must appreciate what and who we have. A lot of people don't....have. And, as for you..... have a wonderful Christmas and peaceful New Year.

When you come to the fork in the road.....take it.

I had a sad, perplexing, happy, reflective week a few weeks back. Get this. My friend, and bandmate, died. 55. My aunt died. 96. My new nephew was born. 0. And I spent a little time in Central Park's Strawberry Fields. (Nice job, Yoko.) One week!!! Dang!!!

Y'know I always thought I'd opt for the no funeral/ cremation thing. But there's something comforting....final....about a funeral. Especially the way we Catholics do it. Fallen or otherwise. It's not really for the guy in the box, is it? When you get in your car after the post funeral/cemetary/lunch /celebration to drive home, at some point you do the big exhale. You know...the same one you do at the end of a relationship, job, exam, close call. It's our body's way of saying goodbye, wrap it up, adios.

When I was around twenty one or so I got a pretty hard dumping from my girlfriend. I was ripped up. ....... calling and pleading my case. Of course, I realize now.....if you want to really push someone away....do that. We're funny creatures. But in the middle of my depression I took a walk down the street and spent a good chunk of the afternoon sitting in the local dugout. Ballfields...great places for clarity. And I was still close enough to reflect on glorious summer afternoons when I "owned" that field. I went home....called the girlfriend....told her I got it...wished her luck....good bye. Big exhale. She called me two days later. (Uh....sorry babe....too late.) So, I think, on my final exhale..... I want the works. Big wake, replete with posters, pictures, guitars, video, music music music and Catholic high mass. Full choir accompanied by a huge pipe organ. (Back off, Freud.) The burial thing I'm still a little leery of. Too many Twilight Zones. Remember the one....I think it was one of the later Twilight Zones... where the inmate at a prison makes a deal with the coffin maker to allow him to be buried with the next body that goes out...then the coffin maker will come dig him up and off he goes? A few weeks later the bell tolls signifying a death in the prison. That night our boy sneaks into the coffin with the fresh corpse and is buried the next day. After a while he starts getting worried, pulls the sheet back on his roommate and....... AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!..........it's the coffin maker!!!!!!! Oops! Creeps me out, man.

My aunt was ready to die. She'd suffered with arthritis for years and lost her son a couple of years ago. My friend Steve had cancer, along with other things, and even though he was never awake the couple of times I went to see him, I'd heard he'd had enough, also. I left him the latest Rolling Stone. My new nephew, Michael....was he ready to be born? I think he was. I think we're in charge of that. (I refer you to earlier blogs) But I have to think this post demise celebration through some more. Guess I'd better let somebody know.

Life really is a gift, isn't it? So many paths that can be taken. Choice. TOO MANY!!!!! It really takes me a long time to catch on. To so many things. That's why I think I've been allowed to hang around this long. And so many close calls. But...I'm getting it....slowly. And I think the idea is....be good to each other. I can't seem to get away from that. Affect people. Think of how many people you've affected....on purpose or otherwise. I can think of three couples who've met on band jobs I've played. They had kids....and so on. I was giving this guy a guitar lesson many years ago and noticed he played like a drummer. We had a chat. Last I checked he was playing drums with a show band in Vegas. It's not E Street but, hey! I gave a guy from my old hometown a ride home one Christmas Eve when I saw him broken down on the side of the road. Something anyone'd do, right? I see him about once every five years and he still mentions that. With enthusiasm. Like it or not, we're affecting lives. I can't wait to see how it all ties together.

So what have I learned? Slowly? Be kind. And good pitching will always beat good hitting. Peace.

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Gig

Sat, Nov. 17th , Ted Lyons will be appearing at "Christie's", Rt 31 in Glen Gardner, NJ (3 mi. north of rt 78). 6pm - 9..... performing folk, 60's, motown, originals, British Invasion.. .yadda...yadda...!!!!!!

..........And back at "Christie's again on Fri, Nov 23rd. Fun! Fun! Fun!(And only six months till Memorial Day !!!!)

(Karaoke and DJ to follow....10pm - 1)

And listen in Thurs. mornings on WDVR FM 6am - 9, 89.7 and 91.9. Streams at www.wdvrfm.org

What...ya gotta better theory?

Do you believe in reincarnation? I do............. I think. How are we possibly supposed to get the hang of this life thing in twenty...fifty.....eighty years? I believe in a higher power and an order to the universe. And I believe we've had a hand in deciding our place within that universe. (And yes, I also believe in long wet kisses) It's a comforting theory and would explain a lot of the misery associated with the planet. Lessons. Do better next time. And let's face it. No one REALLY knows. As I've mentioned before, eight years in St. Mary's Grammar school knocked any religion out of me. The nuns never talked much about love or embracing/celebrating life. They did talk about the penalties if you missed a Sunday mass or told a lie or....snuck into the bathroom. I remember asking one of my teachers ,"If God knows I'm gonna be a mass murderer and thus condemned to hell, why create me?" They never had a good answer except the all encompassing, "Well, it's a mystery." Yeah...I got that much.

I think Jesus, the actual guy who walked on the planet lo those many years ago, had it right. I don't presume to know who he was.... beyond a good hearted man. Son of God? Prophet? Wizard? You decide. But at one point he says to his followers, "Look, you idiots....(I'm paraphrasing)..... if you get nothing else....GET THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! Love your neighbor as yourself." Could you imagine the world if we just did that? One rule. My first grade catechism was seventy five pages of rules. C'MON!!!!!!! The genocide that's been committed over the centuries in the name of God is mind boggling. I think the big man's gotta be a little miffed. Murder/religion.......never got it. I think we're all in for a big surprise. And a good chuckle.

Forgiveness, I think, is important. If nothing else, resentments physically eats away at you. You may be holding a lot of anger for an old boss, girlfriend, teacher, coach...........but they no longer care and the only one it's affecting is you. So knock it off. I know. Easier said than done. I have a few folks in my past that I thought I'd forgiven but every now and then the old feelings resurface. But I'm trying. And I think that's the secret. Keep trying. 'Cause it's all gonna come out in the "wash." We already have all the answers. We know what to do to have good jobs and security. We know how to lose weight. We innately know how to be wonderful human beings. But we don't. Well....a lot of us don't. That's why I'm grateful to still be around. And considering a lot of the situations I put myself in as a youth...I shouldn't be. Grateful Dead concerts and all. But everything happens just the way it's supposed to and....... I'm a slow learner.

I was always impressed by people who knew what they wanted and went after it in a practical way. The owner/manager of a club where I used to play was shooting the breeze with me during a break one night and told me how he knew he wanted to own a club so he took business and finance courses in college and....voila! My mind was boggled. I mean, I always knew I wanted to be a musician but I wish I had gone about it in a more....uh....mature way. I don't feel like I even started to "get it" until around age forty. Better late than never?

Did you ever see that Saturday Night Live cartoon starring the Man of the hour? It's rerun every Christmas and it's right on the mark. We have Jesus walking through Anytown, USA and he sees televangelist Pat Robertson on a TV in a store window. He's impressed 'cause Pat is saying all the right things. Jesus hightails it down to the studio and excitedly tries to get on stage but Pat just keeps talking and elbowing Him out of the way, not missing a beat. The hilarity is that the audio is real and the animation is made to fit. Jesus is bummed and has the same outcome when he runs into Jerry Falwell and Robert Schuller. Lots of zealous religious talk but they just can't recognize Jesus. So the Savior hits the streets again and stops outside a grammar school. The front door is open and there's a commotion inside. As it starts to snow he realizes he's watching the Christmas story.......His Christmas story...... being played out by the Peanuts gang. His face brightens up as Linus delivers a soliloquy about the true meaning of Christmas. Well at the end Jesus just turns to the camera with a big grin on his face and breaks into the Snoopy dance accompanied by the Peanut's soundtrack. You know the tune.

It seems like I always see this cartoon at the right time. Maybe post Christmas party gig, or after a get together with old friends/family. Or just after watching "A Christmas Carol. " (The Alistair Sim version, of course.) How many times do you hear during the Christmas season,"If only we could hang onto this feeling all year.......there'd be peace everywhere......." What're you, nuts? There wouldn't be peace anywhere!!!! But the secret is...there can be peace in your world. Why not? Who's gonna stop you? Do the Snoopy dance anytime you want. Now get off my couch and go home.

ps. Umm.......... I could be wrong about everything.

What am I rebelling against?.......... Whaddaya got?

I don't own a motorcycle. I never have, and probably never will. Why? Because I'm pretty sure I'd kill myself. If I didn't do something stupid on my own...I can always depend on a deer to jump out or ......one of you. Motorists sometimes don't realize the size, weight and speed of a bike coming down the highway and...well...do somehing ....not too bright. I've been on both sides of that equation and the guy on the bike always gets the worst of it.

I was a junior in high school when a car pulled out from a stop sign and side swiped a friend of mine. His foot went through the guy's headlight and and a whole lot of ouch ensued. The worst part was he was the keyboard player in my high school band and we had a gig that weekend. Try playing "Light My Fire" with no keys. It ain't happenin'! Well, he made it. Cast and all. And did pretty well with the sympathy thing.

I was around twenty three...twenty four......when local boy Bobby Lella lost control of his bike after going over a railroad track and went airborne head first into a tree. Gone. I didn't know him too well. He was a little older. But he hung out at the local pub and the older guys were becoming less the older guys and just...the guys. Being in the local band always expedited the breaking down of barriers. Still.... it just seemed .....unfair.

Somehow I learned to "ride." Another friend had a bike and we'd ride out to this old construction site near a local college. Lots of hills and dips and...surprises. I was trying to climb this stubborn hill one day, gunned it, froze and went flying off the ridge on the other side. Came to on the ground with no shoe, no helmet and the bike on top of me. And... get this.... no injuries. My shoe was mangled and the helmet was scraped up and my buddies were scared s.....less. But no real harm. It was as if a message had been sent...and received. I'd contine to ride anytime anyone was foolish enough to let me get on their bike.

My friend Tom....gone but not forgotten.....would let me tool around on his Harley Sportster when he came around. That thing had a ton of giddyap. My nephew'd always let me take out his Kawasaki anytime I dropped over. Ah... a ride through the hills of Hunterdon County. Peaceful.

Probably the most interesting motorcycle experience I ever had was on the back seat of an Electra Glide out to Denver, Colo. Bob (not the earlier Bob) and his friend were heading out to watch Evel Kneivel jump the Snake River Canyon in Utah. Remember that scam? Well, I had a girlfriend? Ex girlfriend? Soon to be?.....in Denver, and a car with a frozen transmission, so I hopped aboard. It was October and it rained from Jersey to St Louis. I did a lot of the driving and it was a hoot. But I've never been so cold or wet in my life. And man, did the sun feel warm and did the Coors taste smooth when we finally crossed the Colorado border.( Those were the days when you could only get Coors west of the Mississippi.) The flight home seemed like pure luxury. Oh...uh.... it didn't work out with the girl. That band thing again.

I've played at a lot of motorcycle rallies...outlaw and otherwise. Always a hoot! And always full of surprises. As long as "Born To Be Wild" is on the list.....it's a party. I remember one rally I played in southern Jersey. We were a little late and as we were pulling in the guy watchin the gate proclaimed, "Hey, the band's here...we don't have to kill 'em." Thank you.

Remember the opening credits to "Easy Rider" when Fonda and Hopper are cruisin' down the highway and "Born to Follow" is playing and America's passing by and we were passing puberty and.......other things? Freedom. That's what the motorcycle is. Be it cross country or down to the corner grocery for a quart of milk. Freedom. Girls like guys on bikes. They won't always admit it. That danger factor. Girls like guys with guitars. I found that out when I was twelve. So..how' bout a guitar strapped to a bike. Hmmmmm. I didn't say I'd NEVER own a bike. Whoa...what's that coming at me....look out...it's....my mid life crisis!!!!!!!

Please.....drive safe. In the words of James Dean, "The life you save could be mine."

GIG

Ted Lyons

Appearing Fri, May 18th, 7pm - 8 at the "Fri Nite Concert Series", Main St. Somerville, NJ (on the courthouse steps) Antique cars, vendors and music! music! music!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Arc Coffehouse last week

C'mon In!! I'm right heah!

"THE HONKY TONK ROADHOUSE"

(Puttin' the "pub" in public radio)

Does your life need a soundtrack? Well, mine does. This IS a movie we’re in…..isn’t it? Every Thursday morning at “The Roadhouse” I provide that soundtrack. It’s always there, anyway. Sometimes we just can’t hear it. In a nutshell, The Beatles paved the way for the British Invasion while Greenwich Village, San Francisco and L.A laid out the road signs. And I'd like to share my "skewed" perspective with you on Thurs mornings from 6am - 9 on 89.7 and 91.9 FM. And if you're not in NJ or Pa, try our online stream at www.wdvrfm.org. Just think about it. I'll bet there’s been a song for every major…and minor….event in your life. Remember the first time you got your heart broken and “Walk Away Renee” came on the radio? OUCH!! I’ll bet “Truckin’ “ made it into the play list for your first road trip. And if all the new singer/songwriters aren’t guiding you to work…..well….that’s where I come in. I also don’t mind telling you all about it …..(whatever “it” may be)….., always keeping towards the lighter side. If this sounds like a cool way to start your Thursday…….come on in…..and bring a friend. Peace.
tlyons@blast.net

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Stop the world....I wanna get off....sometimes.

Technology is out of control. There.......I said it!!!!! Not that I don't enjoy a good chunk of it.....but......RELAX!!!!!! Do we need ipods that can hold 10,0000 tunes? How 'bout 100....200? I like music. A lot. I've been a musician since I was thirteen.....twelve? But I just don't need to carry music around and have it in my head 24/7. If I want to listen to music I know where to find it. It's around. Not far at all. All kinds. And I'm aware that it might be me. That I'm the nut. I've never owned good audio equipment. Over the years I've somehow acquired a stereo system, a couple of cd players and a fair amount of albums, tapes and cds. But I've always used these things as a means to an end. Usually to learn a song. That's why my records are beat to hell, a lot of my cassettes are tape snapped, cds skip and all my old cassette players have busted rewind buttons. You try to learn the bass part to "Revival." That's a lot of rewindin', man.

I bring this same mind set to instruments. I have friends who keep their guitars in "shrines". Rarely let them leave the case, let alone the house.....and don't you even THINK about touching it. Hey....c'mon it's a guitar!!!!! What would Robert Johnson say? Strum that bad boy!!!! I have a Martin D 28 that was a gift from a friend many years ago. I love that guitar. It's hanging on the wall right behind me. But it's been present at many a fireside jam, river party, porch party, house party, gig, in the back of my car, on my bike..........and it's got a few scars to show for it. I change the strings, wipe her down and back on the wall she goes. I give an occasional guitar/bass lesson and I always tell students to leave the instrument out...close at hand. When you sit down in front of the tube, pick it up and strum some chords. While waiting for the computer to warm up run some scales. As James Brown once said, "Owwww!!!!!, it'll do you no harm!" (Hey, did somebody forget to bury the "Godfather of Soul"or what? He's touring more now than he did when he was alive). I remember once reading about Paul McCartney tossing his famous Hofner bass to a curious reporter....and thinking nothing of it. The guy almost had a heart attack, but he WAS asking about it. See...Paul understands. Now, don't take this as a lack of respect. It's just that I see instruments, especially mine, as old friends, not icons. One night in 1976 I was playing at a club called "Dodd's" in West Orange, NJ. I used my Fender Precision bass to deflect a flying beer bottle. Carried that ding around till one night the guitar was stolen from the back seat of my car......along with a hand made guitar strap that I loved. I've always kept an eye open for that strap.

But, as usual, I digress. I'm just saying, could we slow down......a little? Y'know.... the old smell the roses/coffee thing. Hey......R & D guys........we don't need faster, bigger, smaller, brighter, darker, sleeker, more intelligent.....right now...today, do we? As the old joke goes, "Patience...jackass." And having said all that, I too, am guilty of "wanting it now." I got a new computer last year and this mamma jamma can do anything short of fixing dinner. Sometimes I float around on it just to see what's in there. Way more than I need. I don't need 75 games. How 'bout ten. I don't need four or five ways to play music or open pictures. How' 'bout......ONE!!!! I'm just not that bright.

But I discovered that my computer has a program to make cd labels, inserts etc. Now you've got my interest. Great for the home studio guy. But as I'm going through it I'm thinking, "Yeah, well this is good but if it could only do that........ Hey, it's not my fault I can't do both sides of the insert, it's my computer's." See, like the good bleeding heart liberal that I am, I refuse to take responsibility. There, I feel better.

So I guess the moral is, choose your poison. We all need something from this steamrolling technology. Someone wants 10,000 tunes in an ipod the size of a quarter...so...go for it. Someone wants a cell phone that can take a picture and immediately be sent to grandma's e - mail.......so....go for it. I want this. You want that. As my grandfather would say,"That's what makes a horse race." But doesn't it seem like things are getting exponentially faster? I just had a birthday so maybe it's the age thing.....but....I don't think so. Let's be careful. I refer you to "2001 A Space Odessey's" Hal. You remember Hal......that nutty, rapscallion of a computer? "You're not going anywhere, Dave. Sit down and shut up, before I RIP YOUR HEART OUT!!!!"......or something like that. We're getting there. The little paper clip icon knocks on my computer screen everytime I try to do something that can't be done and gives me that, "Hey idiot" look. Oh yeah, I can just imagine him and the little dog and tiny Einstein all back there having a good laugh.

Now, I like water. I love and need water. We all do. But I don't feel compelled to carry it around. We don't live in the Kalahari. Water is available. Close. I'll bet you could walk to a water source. You won't shrivel up. STOP!!!!!! So upgrade to the latest version of XP and put all your instruments in a vault. Plug your brain directly into the nearest music source and I heard it might rain so run.......RUN....... to the nearest grocery store for milk, eggs, and ....water. Must.........have...........water. Ahhh.... again... I feel better.

Solo Gig - Fri, Apr 27, at the Arc of Hunterdon County, 7 - 9pm

Annandale, NJ

Check out my archived blogs....if you dare..

and listen in Thurs morns 6 - 9am on www.wdvrfm.org

....could happen.......

So this frog walks...er...hops.... into the First National Bank, down on Hialeah, and enters the loan officer's office. Mr Paddywack looks at the frog and inquires how his bank can be of assistance. The frog explains that he's considering some modifications to his lily pad, possibly a sun deck or aboretum, and would like Mr Paddywack's help in obtaining a loan. Paddywack explains that he's never dealt with a frog in this matter, but if some collateral can be offered possibly they can do business. The frog says," Well I don't really have any possessions...but...how about this?" He produces some kind of coin or amulet and hands it to Mr Paddywack. Paddywack looks it over and says, Come with me." They go into the bank managers office and Mr Paddywack explains the situation. He then hands the coin over and says," This is what the frog offered as collateral so I thought you should see it. I have no idea what it is." The bank manager looks at the chachki...rolls it over in his hand and suddenly jumps up and exclaims, Why, it's a knick knack Paddywack, give the frog a loan!!!"

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Later Than It's Ever Been

New years 2007. Who would've thought we'd make it this far? 2007!!!!! That sounds like we should be flying around in cars and having robots do all the housework and....and....I don't know......future stuff. I remember when I was a kid and thinking of the year 2000. I thought, "Well....I'll be an adult with a wife and kids. And wear a fedora and have a jacket with patches on the sleeve and smoke a pipe." Y'know like Jim Anderson and Ward Cleaver and....my father. Didn't happen. Except for the married part for a while. The "new year" is one of those wonderful times. It's like spring training in baseball. Everyone's going to the playoffs. Everyone's batting .333. Everyone's turning perfect double plays. And then the season starts. I think the problem with New Year's resolutions is we tend to get a little carried away. Instead of trying to lose twenty pounds and walk five miles every day, how about five pounds and two miles three times a week. A lot more realistic. But there's something about a fresh start, isn't there. New baseball season, new job, new girlfriend, new car, new.....YEARS!!!!!

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I lost my parents on New Years Eve. About ten years apart. Go figure. So that night has always been a little weird, reflective....melancholic....to a degree.

I've spent most of the last thirty five New Years Eves on a stage in some bar/party being the "entertainment." And I liked it that way. Once you get past the early years of drinking till you barf, forcing a good time with your pals, and sometimes really having a good time with your pals....I'd just as soon be out making a buck or staying home with a friend or two. I've spent "the night" in a freezing Times Square, a stage in Bermuda, an emergency room, around a poker table, on front porches banging pots and pans.........just like you.

And then there's the countdown. When you're the band on New Year's there's a lot of pressure to get the count right. And there's always someone who jumps out around 11:45 and starts counting down. 10! 9! 8!....... Once that gets going it's impossible to stop. So I've always just rolled with it. But then ten minutes later there's Dick Clark on tv live from NYC and....hey....what the....? Uh.....happy new year.....again? And the playing of Auld Lang Syne and the kissing of someone and trying to have money in your hand. I think that's an Irish thing. One New Years Eve I was playing at the Dunellen Hotel in Dunellen, NJ. At midnight this girl comes up to the stage and plants one on me Well....did you ever have a boa constrictor crawl down your throat......with your girlfriend observing from the audience. That was a long ride home.

I remember one New Years Eve ('67 - '68?) when one of the boys got so snockered we had to bring him home in a wheebarrow and unload him into the back door of his parents house. I can still hear his sister's shrieks. Man, we howled over that one. Another New Year's my pals and I rode around in my Volkswagen looking for, but never finding ,a home for the night. Six guys singing Auld Lang Syne in a cul de sac in Piscataway. A Boone's Farm Apple wine....... and whatever else was floating around......... toast... and hello 1969.......'70? Y'know I still remember that one. We laughed a lot!

So what does 2007 mean anyway? It's just a number some guys decided on one day. And the Chinese are WAY ahead of us. But it comes at a good time. What with the cold and the fuel bills, and wet feet but....did you notice the days are getting slightly longer? Hello summer!!!!!! I heard a song lyric today that said,"Twilight is the loneliest part of the day." I'd agree. Except maybe I'd add ...."a winter's twilight."

I had a really nice Christmas. I intend to have a really nice New Years Eve. (No gig this year...anyone need a band?) And I'm a'gonna have a great 2007. Why? 'Cause I said so. It's that easy. I'm gonna drop five, walk more, finish my cd, get in a good band, date Pam Anderson......uh.....get in a good band.

Here's hoping your '07 is filled with dreams come true. Health, happiness....puppies, body surfing, snowball fights, trivial pursuits and.....love. Lots of it. Give it. Receive it. It's all you need.

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"Fall back"

Today was a good day. We put the clocks back an hour here on the east coast last night, so I started off already ahead of the game. Today had everything. Music, cooking, old friends, wildlife and the NJ countryside. Got a beef stew going around ten o' clock. My mom's recipe. I jazz it up a little but after about four hours of slow cooking it's basically unrecognizable. At one point in my life I almost became a chef. Had the papers all filled out for the Culinary Institute of America up in Hyde Park but....well....didn't do it. And I'm glad I didn't. D'ja ever whack yourself in the eye with a spatula? And don't get me started on the nefarious meat thermometer. I see you sitting in the drawer....just...waiting. Almost finished up a song I've been recording for about a month. Just can't quite seem to lock it in. I know there's a groove there somewhere. But enjoying the process. Again, that being in the moment thing.

Got calls from two old pals. The one ....of many...beautiful things about the computer explosion is the ability to re connect with old friends via e mail. You can talk to people and yet....not talk to them. Perfect!!!!!! One was a lady from the old neighborhood who's now married and has five....ouch.....five kids. And is still crazy about her husband!!! Man, if you can find that.....! The other was an old school chum who says he's heard my radio show. He said he never thanked me for showing him around his first day at Piscataway HS. I can't say I remember, but he does. Gave me a good feeling.

It was WINDY here today. Branches, chairs, garbage can, little dogs flying through the air. "We're off to see...." Around four or so a calm settled in and I took to the streets. There's about a two and a half mile stretch of country road in front of my home that gets a little busy but is as scenic as anywhere I've ever been. There's a part that has hayfields on both sides of the road that extend out to mountains and with the leaves changing and the half moon just appearing and the sky a blazing blue.....well.......it really made me thankful to be right here....right now. I took a short walk into one of the fields and sat down. Never could resist a no trespassing sign. Then laid down. (or is it lay?) I was about as content as I could imagine ever being unti I felt a pair of eyes on me. Now I couldn't remember the raccoon rule. Is it the rabid ones come out at night...or in the day? So we were eyeball to eyeball about five feet apart. By this time I was feeling pretty social so I said, " Hello Mr.......WHOA!!!!!!!! Did you know raccoons could jump? Straight up. And then....gone. Guess he wasn't rabid.

I made my way home, picked up a few loads of branches from the lawn and had a heaping bowl of beef stew. I feel a groove comin' on so I'm gonna attack this tune one more time. Yeah.....this has been a good day.

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"You say goodbye...and I say hello"

I turned on my heat for the first time last night. Never a good sign. Between the heat and the rain the summer seemed like a washout. No big highlights this year. I got down the shore once. Heading down to Sea Isle City ...not far from Cape May........to celebrate a thirtieth.....YIKES......wedding anniversary with some old friends today...after a gig at a company picnic. As usual, a gig is causing me to be the late arrival again. I remember driving down to their wedding lo' those many years ago. I'd played at The Capri in Somerville that Friday night in 1976 with my old band Freewheelin,' (That's an old band shot of me and the boys from around then....every mother's nightmare) and my buddy and I hopped in my VW and headed down at two o' clock in the morning. Hit Cape May before we realized we'd missed the exit. I thank God every day for getting my pals and I through those days fairly unscathed. Looking forward to seeing some old friends.

And said goodbye to an old friend last week. My Aunt Catherine, aka Katrine, passed away Sept 20th. (She's scattered thoughout my blogging) I was tapped to do the eulogy and I think....hope...I captured her. The funeral was at St Mary's in Plainfield, NJ. Katrine was baptized, married and laid to rest there. I tried something a little unorthodox and everyone seemed to get it. Katrine was always trying to get me to sing as a kid, even though she couldn't sing a lick. "Take me out to the ballgame" was her tune of choice. I was pretty shy about it. Sometimes I'd go in the other room and belt it out. Most of the time ....not. So I ended my eulogy with a solo, accapella version of "Take me out"....from the pulpit of St Mary's church. Oh, the memories as I looked around that place. I made it through...lump in the throat and all...and held the last note long enough so Katrine could hear it. Rest well, old friend.

And said goodbye, I guess, to the summer this week. Y'know...turning the heat on and all. But I'm a big fan of that indian summer thing and I still see some sand and surf in my future.....don't I? Hit the batting cages in Raritan yesterday. They looked so lonely. That's always a pretty good guage of how old I'm getting. I still refuse to go into the slow cage. I start in medium for two tokens worth and on to the fast cage, baby!! The fast cage was throwing a nasty slider that came in on me. The perils of being a lefty. But I adjusted and managed to impress a couple little kids. It's not that tough when the ball's ALWAYS in the same place. Caught a funky little carom right where guys hate to be hit. But I'll be danged if I'm gonna start carrying around my old cup. Ow.....Ow....! So a nice blister, a sore shoulder, hands a little wobbly and all in all a not too bad batting cage experience.

I'm gonna change the strings on my old Martin today. Make 'er look and sound good for the shore jam tonight. Always a good day when I get to play bass and guitar in the same day. Hopefully, thirty years later, I can find this place on the first shot. Saying goodbe...saying hello. Old friends. Is there anything better?

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C'mon....lighten up.......

A gentleman was brought in front of the judge for the crime of killing an animal on the endangered species and protected list....the California Condor !!!!! Now, the judge was a fair man but also an environmentalist known for his lack of sympathy in these kinds of cases. After reading the charges the judge looked up and said," I don't look favorably on this sir. Could you possibly have anything to say in your defense? "
The man said,"Your honor, your reputaion precedes you but if you'll hear me out I think you'll agree I had no choice but to kill the condor...given the circumstances."
The judge said, "Go on."
"Your honor," the man said, "I was hiking in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains when I took a tumble and severely sprained my ankle. I found that I couldn't walk and spent three days out in the elements before I was rescued. As I was expecting to be out for just a few hours I brought only water and a small amount of food.... which quickly ran out. On the morning of the third day my hunger got the better of me and I managed to snare the condor and under these circumstaces felt I had no choice but to consume the bird. I deeply regret having to kill this beautiful creature but, your honor, I sincerely felt it was a life or death situation."

The judge removed his glasses and staring straight into the man's eyes said, "It is, indeed, a crime that one of this country's most magnificent creatures...the very embodiment of the grandeur of the American west...had to perish. But sir, your story has moved me. I see your actions were taken to sustain your life and I can find no fault with that. This case is dismissed. But having said that, I have to ask you. What does a condor taste like?"

"Well, your honor," the man said,"it's kind of a cross between bald eagle and spotted owl."

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